Library resources thread

Library News, July

Mental Health and Wellbeing – Leganto resource list  

The pandemic has generated an astonishing amount of topical information and Library Services have just the right tool for making useful and reliable information much simpler to find. We are trialing a reading list system called Leganto which helps us organise content in a searchable and structured list. 

  
Our Mental Health and Wellbeing resource list contains items on emotional wellbeing, resilience, stress relief, working from home and more. In the future we would like to extend the use of Leganto resources lists like this one for our academic courses integrated with the VLE. If you have an idea for another topical, non-course related list or additional items to add to the Mental Health and Wellbeing list, please drop us a note at [email protected]. 

Changes to referencing coming in October 

You may be aware that we are introducing a new referencing system known as Cite Them Right Harvard (CTR Harvard). This will eventually replace OU Harvard across most modules. Law modules (W###) will continue to use OSCOLA for legal sources. 

The difference between OU Harvard and CTR Harvard is minimal, but the new guidance has many benefits. For example, CTR Harvard gives detailed guidance for a wide range of sources and includes an extensive help and support section with engaging referencing tutorials. CTR Harvard is widely available in reference management tools (e.g. Mendeley, Zotero), so those who would like to use them can automatically generate reference lists. 

This is an important step towards having a more comprehensive, consistent approach across the OU and an easier to use referencing guidance to improve the student experience around referencing. 

CTR Harvard has already been in use in some modules and we have received positive feedback from both students and ALs:  

• “Five minutes into the website and I am converted. Extremely intuitive and clear to use.” OU Associate Lecturer 
• “I think this will be a real step forward.  I teach on three courses and there is a different convention regarding page numbers for each one.” OU Associate Lecturer 
• “I liked the clarity of how it was set out. It was easy to use and quick to find information. The examples and inset videos were helpful.” OU student 

Read more about the change and find support materials at the Referencing Project Page.